It took a mech made of stronger stuff than ordinary alloy to stand up to an angry, frantic triple-changer and his wrath. But the guards at the Polyhex base didn't so much as flinch as Blitzwing stormed up to them, merely stepped forward to intercept him.

"You're not permitted inside until the hearing's over," one informed him.

"Frag you!" Blitzwing roared, raising a fist to clobber the guard. Only Steelwing's grip on his wrist kept him from unleashing the blow. "My bondmate's in there!"

"And she'll remain in there until Shockwave's through with her," the other guard replied coolly. "Until then you've been asked to remain outside. Officers only."

"Frag you!" Blitzwing repeated, and lunged forward… only for two sets of hands to pull him back.

"Primus dammit, Blitz, you're gonna get yourself arrested," Astrotrain growled, hauling him away from the base doors. "You want the kid to see you get hauled off again?"

Blitzwing thought of a few choice words he could say to his fellow triple-changer at that moment, but instead he forced himself to vent deeply and try to calm down. It didn't work, but at least it let him raise a mask of calm as a thin but workable shield to hide his fury. He didn't want to calm down, he wanted to burst into that building and drag Glory out of the clutches of High Command before they could punish her… even if doing so would just earn them both a worse punishment...

"Easy, Blitz," Steelwing urged. "There's nothing we can do right now. We just have to trust Shockwave makes the right decision."

"And what the slag is the 'right decision' right now?" Blitzwing retorted. "She's a deserter. That's a death sentence!"

"Maybe it was during the war, but the war's over," Steelwing pointed out. "She's looking at prison time at the very worst."

"That's comforting," he snarled. "I ain't lettin' her rust in prison either! We gotta bust her out somehow!"

"We are NOT plotting a jailbreak, you crazy trip," Steelwing snapped. "Just cool your thrusters and wait with the rest of us! Shockwave's not completely sparkless; he'll hear her out and take her family into consideration before making a decision. Until then, try to relax before you burst something."

With a growl he wrenched away from Steelwing and Astrotrain and stalked back into the crowd. He and his companions were hardly the only mechs waiting for news of the Air Commander's fate - the Stunticons and several of the Seekers and other fliers, including Stormrunner and Updraft, had gathered before the base, their expressions bearing varying degrees of anger and worry. Even Scourge of all mechs was there, earning strange looks from most of the Decepticons but bearing them resolutely.

Smoke still hung over most of Polyhex like a sinister fog, an all-too-visible testament to the hard battle they had fought that day. Rescue crews, medevacs, and fire patrols still combed the city for blazes and wounded, and both Decepticon soldiers and Autobot police mechs were still butting up against pockets of resistance from the few remaining Knights of Cybertron and rogue Sharkticon drones. The city still reeled, freshly wounded after having just barely recovered from the scars of the Great War.

Wounded, perhaps, but not crippled. For though it had been a hard battle, they had won. The Knights had been vanquished and the Quintessons run off for the time being, maybe even for good unless they were stupid enough to try again.

That thought should have pleased Blitzwing… but now he only felt anger and a terror he would never confess to feeling. The two femmes he held dear were out of his reach, and the thought of harm coming to either of them had his CPU raving in panic.

"Will you stop twitching?" Steelwing demanded. "Mechs are watching. They think you're about ready to snap and rip out someone's fuel lines with your dental plates."

"I don't care what they think," Blitzwing snarled. "Glory's under arrest and Primus knows where Swift is. Don't keep tellin' me to calm down and stop twitchin'."

"We're all worried about the kid, all right?" Motormaster snapped. "But you don't see us freakin' out like sparklings over it. Chill already."

"The Stunticon's tellin' me to chill," Blitzwing grumbled. "What's next, Swindle tellin' me money's the root of all evil?" He scowled. "Where were YOU when the fightin' was goin' down anyhow? Didn't see Menosar out there." Come to think of it, he hadn't seen any of the gestalts on the battlefield. Even Bruticus had been absent, despite Onslaught and most of his team joining in the fight.

Motormaster reached down and squeezed Ricochet's shoulder. "Stayin' with Ricky in one of the shelters. Since we're all listed as his guardians, that kept us outta the fight."

"An' believe us, that was rough," Dragstrip added. "But at least we're still in one piece for the kid's sake."

Blitzwing's visor flickered in surprised. It hadn't occurred to him that he was far from the only mech held back from the battlefield by a sparkling. Perhaps they had more in common than he realized - not that he wanted to start hanging out with Motormaster and his band of loonies on a regular basis or anything.

His optics rested on a trio of fliers lurking off to the side - Scourge, Stormrunner, and Updraft. The two Seekers were talking in low tones, and though Blitzwing was too far away to make out the words, he could see their wings gradually dip as they conversed, as if tension was slowly draining away. Scourge listened to the discussion for a few moments, then seemed to realize he was being watched and stepped forward to meet the triple-changer.

"You're back," Blitzwing noted.

"Obviously," Scourge replied, smirking a little. "It's been awhile."

"Yeah. Take it Glory brought you back."

"In a sense." Scourge shrugged, batlike wings shifting with the gesture. "She came to the colony where I'd settled to talk to me about her uncle. When we got news that Cybertron was facing an imminent Quintesson attack, she left to join the fight… and I decided to follow. Even if my fellow Decepticons still hate me, I should still do something to protect our kind, right?"

Blitzwing snorted. "Who said anyone hated you? Sure, you Sweeps look like you got run over by Dinobots, but at least you weren't lunatics like Galvatron or boot-kissin' lackeys like Cyclonus. Maybe we didn't LIKE you, but we didn't hate you."

Scourge's expression clouded as he tried to puzzle out whether this was a compliment or an insult. "There's that, I suppose."

"So… was she right?" Blitzwing asked. "Were you really Thundercracker?" Might as well figure out if Glory's misadventure had been worth the trouble it caused.

"Evidently I was," Scourge replied. "Was being the key word - I ceased to be Thundercracker the moment I was forged from his remains. But… I still hold some of his memories. His CPU wasn't fully cleared before I was sparked in this body."

Blitzwing stared. He hadn't quite expected that. Then again, he'd pretty much expected Glory to come back from her search empty-handed and disappointed. He hadn't expected her to bring the Sweep commander back, much less with some piece of her uncle still in his chassis.

"What's up with those two?" he asked, changing the subject.

Scourge glanced back at the red and black Seekers, who were finishing up their discussion and watching the base doors expectantly. "Stormrunner bears a grudge against Updraft, and she had accused her of trying to abduct the Air Commander. At the moment, though, I think both of them are too worried about Glory's fate to carry on hating each other."

Blitzwing couldn't exactly blame them. It was a little hard to focus on holding a grudge when the fate of someone you cared about was at stake…

"Daddy!"

At the sound of that familiar cry he whirled. "Swift!"

Swift broke free from Swindle and Knock Out to rush Blitzwing, wrapping her arms around his legs. At any other time Blitzwing might have grumbled something about not being so mushy in public, but at the moment he didn't give a flying frag - he dropped to his knees and hugged her tightly to his chest. He didn't even care that Wildfire was nosing and sniffing at him as he clung to the little sparkling.

"Swift, you're all right," he murmured. "You're safe…"

"Daddy, are you okay?" she whimpered. "Did they hurt you?"

"I'm okay," he assured her. "Are YOU okay?"

Swift nodded against his shoulder. "I stayed with Knock Out and Breakdown. And we went to the shelters to hide… and Galvatron showed up!"

His entire chassis jerked in response to those words. "Oh frag…"

"And Wildfire fought him!" she went on, heedless of his moment of panic. "He fought him and he beat him! He saved all of us!"

Blitzwing gaped at the bodyguard in shock. Wildfire stared back with a stoic expression on his equine face… and only then did he notice the flecks of energon spattering his red-and-gold armor. So the big lug was worth keeping around after all - and honestly, he felt that whatever punishment Wildfire had dealt towards Galvatron was richly deserved.

"Daddy… where's Mommy? Is she back yet?"

"I…" Blitzwing grimaced and hugged Swift even more tightly. "She'll be back soon, sweetspark. We just gotta wait a little longer."

"How long?"

"I don't know… but hopefully not too long."

Behind him, relieved chatter filled the air as Updraft greeted her family, embracing them and assuring them she was okay. At least one family got a happy ending today, he figured. He just hoped they wouldn't be the only ones.

Glory had expected this conversation to take place in a brig cell. She hadn't expected it to take place in the conference room, with Soundwave and Optimus Prime present as well as Shockwave. She could almost imagine it was just another of the endless meetings she'd grown used to as an Air Commander… almost, if she could just ignore the cuffs binding her wrists.

"I am greatly disappointed in your behavior, Air Commander Glory," Shockwave noted, his voice collected as always but barely concealing a great deal of anger and frustration.

"I'm deeply sorry, sir," she replied. That was mostly true - guilt at abandoning Cybertron and those she loved at such a critical time ate at her like a hungry sparkeater. But at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to fully regret her decision. Not when it had provided answers to some burning questions, and helped her unite Emperor Deszaras with his missing conjux.

"You disobeyed a direct order," Shockwave continued, pacing before the conference table with his hand and gun-arm behind his back. "You were explicitly told not to leave the planet while the Quintesson crisis still loomed, and yet you chose to leave regardless… leaving us short a valuable officer in the moment of crisis. Your actions are entirely inexcusable."

"She could hardly have predicted that both the Quintessons and the Knights of Cybertron would choose to attack at the same time during her absence," Prime pointed out. "Perhaps she was irresponsible, but it wasn't as if she planned to be gone during the attacks."

"Nevertheless, she was still absent without leave when she was most needed," Shockwave retorted, swiveling his head to glare at the Autobot Commander. "This is a matter for the Decepticon High Command to settle, Optimus Prime. You are not needed here."

"Glory deserves to have someone speak in her defense," Prime replied.

Glory wanted to snap at the Prime that she was fully capable of defending herself, but she held her vocalizer. He was just trying to help, even if it wouldn't do much good… and he HAD saved her life and the lives of three of her Seekers during the battle. As much as she wanted to hate the mech for killing her uncle, he certainly made it hard to hold a grudge against him.

Soundwave remained silent, his gaze moving between Shockwave and Glory from time to time. It was as if he felt compelled to choose a side in this argument, and was weighing his options. As Shockwave's second-in-command he should have supported him… but he had also subtly urged Glory to take off in the first place, which meant siding against her would be hypocritical.

I hope, for his own sake as well as Echo and Stardust's, he sides with Shockwave, Glory found herself thinking. If Shockwave decides to punish him for encouraging me in all this, what's going to happen to the sparklings in his charge?

"If I recall correctly, prior Air Commanders have done far worse than abandon their posts in the past," Prime continued. "Starscream in particular got away with some outrageous behavior. Glory seems quite well-behaved in comparison, even taking this incident into account. Why is she being judged so much more harshly?"

"Because unlike prior Decepticon Commanders, I do not allow such outrageous behavior to take place," Shockwave replied firmly. "I expect obedience from my officers, and treachery of any form is not tolerated."

Glory tried to bite her words back, but they escaped anyhow: "Since when was taking off for a week the same thing as plotting a hostile takeover?"

Prime snorted behind his mask. Shockwave just glowered at her, headfins twitching.

"I placed a great deal of faith in you when I gave you the title of Air Commander, Glory," he went on. "And you chose to break that faith. If you have anything to say in your defense, say it now before I decide on your punishment."

She drew her shoulders up and regarded him as if she were still his officer and not a prisoner. "I have no defense, sir, save that I felt it was important to leave. You're right - I have no excuse for abandoning my post, and a personal issue wasn't worth putting Cybertron in jeopardy. I left our aerial forces without a leader, and there's no excusing that."

Shockwave's headfins flicked once in brief amusement before pinning flat again. "You're supposed to be speaking in your own defense, not condemning yourself."

"I don't see any reason to lie," she countered. "But at the same time, the Prime's right - I had no reason to believe that the Knights of Cybertron or the Quintessons were going to attack so soon, or that the Knights would break Galvatron out of prison at the same time. I was irresponsible, but I didn't deliberately put Cybertron in jeopardy. I just ask that you take that into account before you discipline me."

"Intention does not negate the consequences," Shockwave replied. "You did not intend to leave us with a crisis on our hands, but you did so regardless. Your argument is irrelevant."

"Not irrelevant," Soundwave cut in. "Difference between negligence and willfully seeking to cause harm. Lesser sentence: recommended."

Shockwave looked as if he dearly wanted to argue that point, but decided against it. "Whatever you were searching for that led you to abandon your post, Glory, I hope you found it… and that you believe it is worth the price."

Glory only nodded in reply.

Prime, for whatever reason, seemed bound and determined to leap to her defense one last time. "Glory is young - one of the youngest Air Commanders to have ever served the Decepticons. Take that into account as well. Young mechs often make rash decisions, and she's no exception."

"I plan to take it into account," Shockwave replied. "In fact, her youth is one of the deciding factors in her punishment."

Glory tensed, wings hitching higher. "What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean that effective immediately, you are stripped of your rank," Shockwave replied. "I hereby demote you to the rank of Airmech, and rescind the privileges and title of Air Commander."

Glory knew she should have felt devastated at that news - and so felt more shocked that she WASN'T devastated than anything else. "Yes, sir… what else?"

Shockwave's headfins flicked again. "That will be all. As others have said, you did not intend to leave us during a crisis and so cannot be held responsible for it." He gave Prime and Soundwave pointed looks before returning his attention to the Seeker. "You may choose to remain in the air forces as a common soldier, with the chance of regaining your rank in the future. Or you may request a discharge. The decision is yours."

"I… do I have to decide now?" she blurted.

"You have a decacycle to make your decision. Choose wisely. And be warned that if you opt for civilian life, you will lose the opportunity to regain your title unless you choose to re-enlist."

She stared at the violet mech, trying to process what she'd heard. She'd expected him to haul her off to the correctional facility or at least cool her heels for a few orns in the brig. She hadn't expected him to strip her title from her.

And in all honesty, the demotion came not as a punishment, but as an incredible relief. It was as if he'd lifted a massive burden from her back, leaving her a thousand tons lighter. She had never craved power, and though she took her responsibilities seriously she couldn't help but resent how they ground her down. Shockwave's punishment might have been intended to burden her, but it felt more like he had broken her chains.

"Soundwave, uncuff her," Shockwave ordered.

Soundwave nodded, and he unlocked her cuffs. It might have been her imagination, but she swore she saw one side of his visor darken in a wink before he stepped away.

"Dismissed, Airmech Glory."

She saluted, then turned on her heel and strode out with as much dignity as she could muster - which wasn't much, as she still felt shaky after Shockwave's announcement. Footsteps sounded after her, and she wondered which mech had chosen to follow her out.

"Air Co- Glory, I mean."

She sighed softly and slowed her pace. "Yes, Optimus Prime?"

"You handled yourself well in there," the Autobot leader told her, matching her pace as they made for the lift. "I'm proud of you."

Glory took in a deep intake and let it out slowly before replying. "I know I was the youngest Air Commander in history, Prime, but you don't need to coddle me. I'm an adult, and I can take care of myself."

He let out a deep sigh of his own as they stepped into the lift. "I know… but I admit it's difficult to look at you without thinking about the little sparkling that spend a few days at the Ark before we returned her to her family. I have to remind myself that you're fully upgraded and have a family now."

She nodded, her CPU drifting back to that time… and she couldn't help but smile a little. She had been so terrified at the time, convinced the Autobots were vicious monsters, but looking back they had been surprisingly gentle with her. Even then, she should have recognized that the war hadn't been about good guys vs. bad guys, but just two opposing factions trying to fight for what they believed was right.

Prime sighed again, gazing down at the floor of the lift. "Glory… I owe you an apology."

"No, Prime… I owe you one," she told him. "I've kept holding a grudge against you for killing my uncle, even though you've apologized countless times. I… I don't know if I'll ever fully forgive you, and I still miss him terribly. But I promise I'll try not to be angry with you, at least in public."

Prime's gaze lifted, and a smile tilted the corners of his optics. "Thank you, Glory. Though that wasn't what I was going to apologize for. I should never have insisted you be made Air Commander - I knew it was a heavy responsibility, and it was wrong of me to demand it be laid on your shoulders. You deserved a chance to choose your own destiny, not have it decided for you."

Glory had never expected those words to come out of the Prime's vocalizer… and she hadn't realized how much she needed to hear them until this moment. "You are making it very hard to hate you, Prime."

"I should hope so… believe it or not, I don't like to make enemies." He nodded at her as the lift doors slid open. "Take care of yourself, Glory. And say hello to Swift for me."

"I will."

She barely made it out the base doors before someone grabbed her by the shoulders. She gasped, fully prepared to release her arm blades and defend herself, before Blitzwing pulled her into his arms in a crushing hug.

"Fraggit, Glory, don't you scare me like that," he murmured. "I thought… I thought we were gonna lose you."

She wrapped her arms around him in return, tucking her face against his chest. "You're all right… thank Primus. When I heard the Knights had you, I feared the worst."

Blitzwing squeezed her tightly. "Next time you jaunt off to find a long-lost family member, we're making it a family trip. I'm not letting you out of my sight for a long time." He pulled back, frowning down at her. "Unless you gotta report for a prison sentence or something…"

"No… I've been demoted. I'm no longer Air Commander."

His visor flared at that. "That's… that's a good thing, right? Or bad? I never know anymore…"

"Mama!" Swift had been huddled with Stardust and Echo, anxiously awaiting their parents' return, but rushed over with her arms outstretched. "Mama, you're back!"

"Swift…" She bent down and lifted the blue sparkling in her arms, hugging her tightly. "Yes, I'm back, Swift. I'm not going away again for a long time, I promise."

Swift pulled back and looked at Glory with such comical seriousness it took all her strength not to laugh. "Promise, Mama?"

"I promise," she assured her.

"Even for work?"

"Even for work." She patted her back. "Are you ready to go home?"

Swift nodded, then hesitated and shook her head. "Home's not safe anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"The Knights attacked the apartment," Blitzwing explained. "It… it might be a good idea for us to find a new place. Just so we- she can be rid of the bad memories."

Glory caught the slip, but decided to let it slide. Bad enough that Astrotrain and Octane would probably rib him for vorns over his abduction by the Knights; she wouldn't wound his pride any more than it already was.

"We'll go apartment-hunting soon," she told them both. "In the meantime… perhaps we'll find a hotel."

"No need for that."

Glory turned to see Knock Out grinning at them. She wondered just how much of their conversation the Velocitronian had overheard - and judging by his smile, he wasn't apologetic about it in the least.

"How's Updraft?" she asked.

"Perfectly fine," Knock Out replied. "There was some tension earlier, but that seems to have been resolved. In the meantime… the three of you need a place to stay?"

"We can't impose…" Glory insisted.

"Oh, I insist," Knock Out cut in. "You're friends of my daughter, and Swift has already been a quite charming guest for the last few days. You're quite welcome to stay with us until you find a new place. Even your daughter's pet is welcome, provided it leaves my finish alone."

Glory's wings drooped in relief. "Thank you. This means more to us than you can know."

"Oh, Dad's just eager to have another sparkling under his roof," Updraft noted with a bit of a smirk. "Glory… I'm glad you're okay. I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble."

"You didn't… I got myself in trouble," Glory assured her. "I hope I didn't get YOU in trouble."

"There was a misunderstanding," Stormrunner admitted, and Glory swore she'd never seen the black Seeker look so guilty. "I… I made an assumption about why you'd disappeared, and held Updraft responsible. I… apologize. It won't happen again, Air Commander."

"Please… just Glory," Glory replied. "I'm no longer Air Commander."

Updraft, Stormrunner, and Knock Out stared at her with identical looks of shock. Then Stormrunner shook her head and folded her arms over her chest. "I'll go talk to Shockwave. He may be a genius, but he's an idiot for demoting you over this-"

"Stormrunner, no," Glory ordered. "I'm… I'm actually okay with it. I'm not a mech who's happy with a leadership position, to be honest. You'd just get yourself in trouble if you tried to plead my case."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Updraft nodded, though she still looked unsure. "What will you do now?"

That was the burning question… and Glory had no idea how to answer it. Her demotion hadn't limited her, but had opened up an entire realm of possibilities for her. She could make her way up the ranks to a position she felt comfortable with, she could remain a soldier and continue to fight to protect Cybertron, she could step away from the military entirely and start a business or attend university, she could let Blitzwing re-enlist and simply stay at home with Swift…

Blitzwing's hand rested on her shoulder, lightly squeezing. "I think the first order of business is a vacation of some kind. Primus knows we ain't had one in a long time. And it'll give you time to decide."

Glory smiled at him. "You know… that's a wonderful idea. Once we've found a new apartment, we'll plan a trip somewhere. Get away for awhile."

Blitzwing nodded. "I hear Beta Geode's nice."

She made a face. "I think if I show my face there again Bulldog will have my wings mounted on his wall. How about Earth? I'd love to show Swift the oceans."

"That mudball? Kid, I know you romanticized that place when you lived there, but it was a fraggin' pit to the rest of us 'Cons…"

Wildfire let out a snort and pawed the ground impatiently, breaking off the conversation.

"Yes, boy, we're going home," Glory told him, setting Swift down. "Or a home between homes for right now. Let's just head back and pack our things first."

The drone snorted again, satisfied, and nosed Swift gently before falling in step at her side. Glory laced her fingers through Blitzwing's and followed the sparkling and her bodyguard. A new future lay before her, one glittering with possibility… and it was hers to decide. The thought was terrifying yet liberating, and she hoped to be able to make the most of it.